The particular air-blast pneumatic impact guns of the typical above-noted types of Ingersol Rand Air Pneumatic tool models 231 and/or 231-2 to which the present invention is specifically directed, is a well-known particular type of lug-removing impact pneumatic gun for which the molds and parts and machining thereof is well established and developed. The design has proven to be well accepted commercially and accordingly continues in present commercial production and is expected to continue into the indefinite future.
However, in the use of the particular lug-removing pneumatic impact guns having the forwardly-directed air blast of the exhausting air thereof, workers in the use thereof to remove lugs from wheels of trucks and/or automobiles and/or other industrial vehicles, have been and continue to be confronted with a serious health hazard to their eye and to their lungs and upper respiratory sinuses and the like, as a direct result of the concentrated and high-intensity forwardly blasting air disrupting asbestos dust and other dirt and debris associated with such wheels and lugs. The asbestos dust and/or dirt and/or debris are air-lifted and impacted into the face and/or eyes and/or nose and/or mouth of the worker removing the wheel lugs by use of the particular lug-removing pneumatic impact gun. As a result of the critical requisite of an exceptionally high-level of impact of at-least about 140 foot-pounds of torque as above-noted for the present invention use in a lug-removing combination of the particular lug-removing pneumatic impact tool, critically the exhaust ports of the gun must remain free of obstructions such as filters, mufflers or the like that inherently would throttle the impact tool power sufficiently to render the tool inoperative for purposes of removing lugs of vehicular wheels--noting that it is not infrequent that such lugs are "frozen" as a result of long use and high temperatures during their use on the wheel(s) such that lesser torque impact pressures (foot pounds of torque) would totally fail to adequately serve required needs for the particular lug-removing pneumatic impact tools to which the present invention is directed. In that sense, the sound-muffler of the above-noted Fleigle U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,795 would critically defeat the utility of the present invention because of inherent back-pressure caused by such device that results in significant and fatal reduction in maximum achievable foot pounds of torque of the particular lug-removing pneumatic impact gun to which the present invention is directed.
It has become recently recognized that continuous exposure to dust and dirt, particularly where such often contains asbestos dust or particles from worn brakes, is potentially carcenogenious and is additionally recognized to constitute a serious threat or potential problem to the sensitive eyes and/or sinus and/or respiratory organs of a worker when blown into the face of the worker attempting to remove the wheel lugs.